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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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1580 results for: City of Seattle

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Image of WACs parading at Fort Lawton, Seattle, February 3, 1944
Photograph

WACs parading at Fort Lawton, Seattle, February 3, 1944

In 1897, the city of Seattle donated land on Magnolia Bluff to the US government to build a new Army post as part of a defense system for Puget Sound; this was designated as Fort Lawton in 1900. During most of its active service, the fort served as an embarkation station where troops gathered before being sent to duty in…
ID Number:SHS876
Date:1944
Image of Firemen and wagon at Ballard Fire Station No. 18, circa 1907
Photograph

Firemen and wagon at Ballard Fire Station No. 18, circa 1907

This photograph shows five fireman and their horse-drawn hose wagon at the original wooden fire station on NW Market Street and Russell Ave NW in Ballard. This was a volunteer station until Ballard's annexation into Seattle on June 1, 1907, when it because Hose No. 18, a paid company of the Seattle Fire Department. In 1911, this building was replaced…
ID Number:SHS1042
Date:Circa 1907
Image of Grand Opera House, Seattle, circa 1910
Photograph

Grand Opera House, Seattle, circa 1910

Seattle’s Grand Opera House, at 213-217 Cherry Street, was designed by Edwin H. Houghton, a prominent Pacific Northwest theater designer. Owned by John Cort, the theater stood at the northern end of Seattle’s entertainment district. It was the city’s most important live theater when built, but its popularity declined as the city expanded northwards. It became a movie theater, and…
ID Number:SHS1107
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad locomotive
Photograph

Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad locomotive "D.H. Gilman," circa 1887

The Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern RailwayCompany was formed in 1885 by Daniel Gilman, Judge Thomas Burke, and other Seattle businessmen. By 1887, it ran from the Seattle waterfront to Smith Cove, across Salmon Bay, and along the northwest side of Lake Washington. By 1888, the line reached Fall City to the east and Snohomish to the north, eventually connecting…
ID Number:SHS1143
Date:Circa 1887
Image of Men posing in front of tent near Jacob Furth home, 1889
Photograph

Men posing in front of tent near Jacob Furth home, 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the City. In this image men pose in front of a tent set up after the fire during regrading operations, in which streets were raised up to 22 feet in places, helping to level the hilly…
ID Number:SHS1359
Date:1889
Image of University of Washington graduating class, Seattle, 1898
Photograph

University of Washington graduating class, Seattle, 1898

In 1858 one of Seattle's founders, Arthur A. Denny (1822-1899), successfully petitioned the Washington Territorial Legislature to select Seattle as the location for a new university. Seeing this as a chance to add to the city's potential and prestige, a site was chosen on Denny's Knoll that now houses the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. The Territorial University of Washington opened in…
ID Number:SHS1514
Date:1898
Image of Columbia St., looking east from 3rd Ave., Seattle, circa 1890
Photograph

Columbia St., looking east from 3rd Ave., Seattle, circa 1890

Seattle in the early 1890s was a rapidly growing city. The Seattle City Census of 1888 records population at 19,116, and although 1889's Great Fire leveled 116 acres in the heart of the city's business district, by 1890 the city's population actually grew to 40,000 inhabitants from the influx of people helping to recreate the city. Lumber and coal were…
ID Number:SHS1546
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Occidental Hotel, circa 1886
Photograph

Occidental Hotel, circa 1886

In 1884, John Collins opened his Occidental Hotel at the junction of James Street and Mill Street (now Yesler Way) in Seattle. The ornate, four-story brick building was at the center of the city, just off of what is now Pioneer Square. It was considered to be the grandest hotel in Washington Territory. A bank occupied part of the ground…
ID Number:SHS1581
Date:Circa 1886
Image of Queen City Cycle Club, Kent, June 28, 1896
Photograph

Queen City Cycle Club, Kent, June 28, 1896

Between about 1894-1904, after the horse and before the automobile, bicycles were the hottest new form of do-it-yourself urban transportation in Seattle. The region's many cycling groups regularly sponsored outings along the twenty-five miles of urban bicycle trails which were built, funded, and maintained with the aid of city engineers. Bike cops enforced cyclist speed limits, safety, and dealt with…
ID Number:SHS1825
Date:1896
Image of Chesheeahud and Tleebuleetsa near campfire, circa 1900
Photograph

Chesheeahud and Tleebuleetsa near campfire, circa 1900

Chesheeahud was a Duwamish chief and guide to the lakes and rivers around what is now Seattle living between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. He led a village called hehs-KWEE-kweel (meaning Skate), at the south edge of the mouth of Union Bay onto Lake Washington. hehs-KWEE-kweel was near a vital portage used by the Duwamish between Lake Union and…
ID Number:SHS1900
Date:Circa 1900
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Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
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